In two years of riding, with a year-and-a-half of at least once-weekly fast group rides, and a year of weekly track racing, and a handful of road races, I have never gone down too hard. A few minor falls, but nothing more than some scrapes -- the stuff you got when you were a kid. In fact, I've never even had more than one situation that scared me much that I might be about to go down hard.

Then Tuesday nine days ago, a guy in front of me dives down the track and gives me a three-inch-overlap front-wheel swipe. I watch my life flash before my eyes, but somehow stay up (probably because our speeds were moderate). Just four days later the guy two in front of me on a group ride has a flat and brakes, so the woman behind him (and in front of me) hits him, and she goes down, bike and body sliding sideway. And I lean into my buddy to my right, who leans back and holds me up as I skirt past her bike with an inch to spare, and about ten guys behind me go right over her and onto the ground.

And here's where I screwed up: at the coffee shop at the end of the ride, I told my never-go-down-hard story, and described my two recent near misses, and surmised that I must be blessed (while knocking on wood). And THAT's when the cycling gods decided to show me that NOBODY -- least me -- is blessed.

'Cause then Tuesday two days ago, another guys dives down the track, except this time the overlap is a half wheel, and the speed fast, and I go a** over teakettle, and end up with a destroyed helmet, two cracked ribs, no skin on the left side of my body, and a bottle of painkillers that still, two days later, can't help get me out of a chair in under thirty seconds.

Next time I'm keeping my mouth shut.

"This ship is unsinkable."

Sorry about it though. I hate it for you.

edit: And be easy with the pain killers. They're a b*tch to come off of. I was a mess coming off Vicodin after a bike wreck.

and now they will forget all about you until you piss em off again.
Just be glad you had the skills to work your way out of the 2 previous
misadventures.
your bike okay?

Marty

Yeaowwtch!!

Sorry about that. Heal up quickly

Heres what you do , take out a sharp steak knife and sacrifice two brandnew Tubular Tires to the Cycling Gods and all will be well.

Believe it or not, I'm not sure. The folks who picked me while I was still in a daze said "your bike looks good." As I walked it back to my car in the dark, it seemed to be fine, except that a the bars were shaved bad. Since then, it has sat in the back of my SUV, and I haven't had they heart to give it the full inspection. And no rush, as I won't be riding for at least a week or two.

oh man thats horrible, good luck on the recovery. glad to hear it wasn't worse. i saw someone fracture a vertebra last year eeek

Interesting.

I've always been of the opinion that you can talk about crashes/potential crashes AFTER a ride/race with no ill effects.

Talking about them before (the morning/afternoon beforehand) or DURING a race, however, is asking for trouble.

Or I can send you my address and you FedEx the tires to me

Be careful with the Vicodin because it will bind up your digestive track hard core too! If you've been on it a couple days I'd recommend a lot of bran and Metamucil.

The first rule of not crashing is you don't talk about not crashing.

Hang in there. Chicks dig road rash scars.

oh so this is the crash? my god thats vicious
you mentioned coffee shop? you ride with SDBC (java)??
tell me if you need anything, I ride around in no specific direction on weekends.

My wife, not so much. And she will not dig them even more when she gets back to town on Saturday and has to change out all the Tegaderm on my rear end that I can't reach because I can't move my arm. And then she'll gripe about how I'm just wandering around whining and that I likely crashed on purpose so that I would have an excuse to not help with the daughter and dog.

Yeah. There was a nasty pileup on the SDBC A ride last week just after the turn off San Dieguito. A couple guys had to walk up the road a few dozen meters each way to stop traffic for the five minutes it took to drag everyone off the road. Thanks for the offer of help, but, as noted above, I'm going to put my wife to work on that when she returns shortly!

sounds good. what ride was it?

I was on a group ride a few weeks ago where the guy that went down the hardest had to go to the hospital and when they checked him out they found a large cyst on his liver. Something that otherwise would have gone undetected. Long story short, the bike crash was a blessing that may have saved his life.

at the sd velo? why would someone dive so carelessly

From one SDBC member to another: Heal quickly.

Wow, heal quick and see you back on the road soon!

Anybody here watch House??

To appease the cycling Gods:

1. Purchase a Campagnolo Cork Remover [A fine tradition and gift.]
2. Hang it above your fireplace. [Bikes were born of fire.]
3. By a bottle of sacramental wine. [The Gods like a blessed vin.]
4. Open using a lesser cork remover. [Crude labor is beneath the elite cork remover.]
5. Sprinkle drops of the wine on the Campagnolo cork remover and yourself. [Consider yourself biketized.]

Then go out and kick some ass!

=8-)

I don't know. In fact, I can't really tell you how they did, as I don't remember it well: all I recall is thinking that I was sitting in exactly the position I wanted with five laps to go, then seeing a wheel overlapping mine, then I'm laying on the apron groaning. My knowledge of the dive comes from those who were watching and told me about it in e-mails.

gosh... I'm starting to rethink riding without health insurance.

Either that or put the training wheels back on!